AMD Launches First ARM-based Server CPU

NEW YORK -- AMD is rolling out its server CPU platform based on ARM’s 64-bit technology -- the first of such collaboration between the two firms. The Opteron A1100 series chip, codenamed Seattle, is fabricated using 28-nm process technology, and the chip maker plans to sample it this quarter.

In addition, AMD is planning to contribute to the Open Compute Project with a new micro-server design that utilizes the Opteron A-series, along with other architecture specifications for motherboards that Facebook helped developed called "Group Hug," an agnostic server board design that can support traditional x86 processors, as well as ARM chips. The company says it is looking to collaborate with others in the industry to create a software ecosystem around 64-bit for ARM-based designs in order to target essential workloads in web-tier and storage datacenters. The Opteron A-series will be accompanied by a standard UEFI boot and Linux environment based on the Fedora Project, which is distributed by Linux and sponsored by Red Hat.

AMD detailed the two projects on February 12.

Suresh Gupalakrishnan, corporate vice-president and GM for AMD’s server business unit, told EE Times that the company is going to offer a development kit with tools and software so that users can port their software to 64-bit ARM technology, along with a server board for the Open Compute Project using this particular processor.

This move is being spurred by two distinct but converging trends. The first is the rush to mobile, especially smartphones in the mid-range of $50 to $100. The second is the need to store all the data people are downloading and uploading to their smartphones in ever complex and sprawling datacenters. Gupalakrishnan believes that a number of these tasks are best suited for ARM CPUs, including storage, big data analysis and messaging, or “collaboration” as he put it.

“As ARM comes into the server market, its success will depend on the software ecosystem surrounding it,” Gupalakrishnan said. “It has to be compatible with existing datacenter infrastructure. It needs stable and predictable functionality. We are bringing our expertise in the x86 server market into the ARM market so that end customers can use ARM and X86 in the same datacenter.”

Gupalakrishnan lauded ARM’s servers for being especially compact in their implementation.

“It allows us to pack a lot of servers into a given space,” Gupalakrishnan said. In addition, ARM is the right choice at this moment for AMD because of the broader range of options it offers. “There are a lot of customers asking for a choice other than x86,” he said. “They are looking for a wider variety. Also, ARM allows you to customize processors at a faster rate than with x86.”

As for how all of this affects competition with Intel, Gupalakrishnan skirted the question, avoiding mentioning AMD’s nemesis by name, but addressing the substance of the rivalry nonetheless with a bold yet tentative prediction.

“We are going to continue making x86 processors,” he said. “We project that ARM will have 25 percent unit volume in the server market in 2019. So that means, even by then, 75 percent of the market will still be x86 processors.”

As for the overall direction of the server market, Gupalakrishnan predicted single-digit growth for the foreseeable market. Within those parameters, however, he expects double-digit growth for a select few segments, specifically storage, big data, and cloud servers.

You might be right about me to be pessimistic. I am not sure server market will gown, in term of revenue, significantly in next 6/7 years for 3 reasons:

1. I am seeing those traditional servers buyers, such as Google, Facebook, are migrating to their in-house solution slowly. Those are not always x86 solution.

2. With more companys moving to clould and virtualization, less servers are required due to high server utilization;

3. x86 servers are mostly built for general purpose server. The power efficiency and cost efficiency are horrible. I'm seeing more purposefully built servers which could be accelerated by ASIC, FPGA, or even GPU. For power perspective, ASIC is 1000x more power efficient than x86, even FPGA is 100x better in lots of cases. Most of those purposefully built servers are likely ARM based SOC product, with lots of purposeful built acceleration engine direct target to its applications.

AMD is looking to prepare itself for a variety of compute demands and a great deal of fluctuation by creating a heterogeneous architecture. ARM is going to experience a wave of products based on its solution that will disrupt the traditional x86 stranglehold on the market. But with both X86 and ARM architectures, AMD is equipped to provide the kind of variety they will need to remain competitive in 2014 and beyond.

On audit ARM licensees, and compliment see this acceleration opportunity that can also be described as coprocessing. There are multiple types of ARM +. As there are multiple types of x86 +

A raw green field of programming guides, and the required application notes that are GPU/APU, DSP, FPGA specific and the industrial embedded vertical software system applications, where some laugh moving for commercialization too server, relational, batch processing. Absolutely tweaked for every vertical and how too move to horizontal? Intel is addressing as x86 core + Phi on chip. The product and tools more universal yet can that ease of solution be as application specific?

By bringing ARM architecture to the forefront in desiging CPUs for servers, I think AMD sees a development of heterogenous architecture at the data center level, similar to bigLITTLE processing by ARM. For this, the software ecosystem has to be tweaked and enterprise architecture is an environment that can see wide fluctuations in compute demands.

For storage service advantage of ARM is well known; good enough for that application. Real time from flash memory array is an into future time story including acceleration.

Success for ARM in web tier has been, and will continue to be, software systems application optimization of the raw x86 ports for customer applications. As the software service community begins to understand this opportunity, which a leading few understand today, including waiting for applications and refined tool's, whole platform development will recognize the intellectual property advantage of commercial reuse. That, of course, is a first mover advantage requiring action over all the potential compliment parties looking at each other waiting to see who starts first.

On open processor modules, has been one keystone of Intel's ARM crush. The other a wave of surplus three generations removed. Open Hug, meaning too asphyxiate, and for industrial embedded, Q7 and MXM3, are lures Goliath relies to place head to head. On system application prototype advantage of the Intel plug compatible replacement two lithography generations ahead, ARM has been stymied at 32 nm, where anyone who does that ARM specific test except for fan less contained chassis chooses Intel or AMD x86. Prototype software development begins and Goliath knows that is that.

At 28 nm the question is open, on performance, but more so price performance on planar layout that is wide and slim v the compact nature of a costly tightly coupled stack. Where footprint does not matter ARM may win and AMD certainly takes advantage today for cost : price. For performance that is low power for price, and design power mm^2, for dense server the jury is still out.

Within the Intel server sales paradigm any power reduction, within the established infrastructure, is evolutionary. When no one is fired for buying the incumbent over upstart. A credo only the best Intel competitive strategists have learned, by doing, to overcome. So do or do not.

The volume opportunity for ARM Intel displacement, over one architectural generation that is nine quarters, is currently one Intel production long run or approximately 60 million units.